Ross Telescope Advice?

[Ann McLachlan]

Hi - I know nothing about Stargazing at all but have a Ross Telescope with a leather outer cover.  It’s been in my loft since my Dad passed away in 1995!  I’m clearing the loft to move house and googled “Ross Telescope” and Your site came up with Cosmic Geoff giving advice to someone about theirs.  Can anyone help me, please, I’d like to sell it - its old and not very clean but works perfectly?  Thank You Ann

[lenscap]

Hi Ann and welcome to SGL.

Does the scope have any markings such as a date or serial number?

Could you post a photo of the scope on the forum?

[Ann McLachlan]

Hi - I can’t see any numbers or marks - just the name “Ross London”. I’ll put photos on now.

Thanks - Ann

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi Ann and welcome to SGL. 

Not much to go on, but this may help... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_(optics) 

[Geoff Barnes]

Hello Ann

I've just Googled "Ross London Telescopes " and it came up with a wealth of information about them.

Hope this helps.

[lenscap]

Thanks Ann. That's great.

Could you measure the length of the scope (without the eyepiece tube extended) and the diameter of the large lens.

Sorry for all the questions, but the info may help someone to identify it.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi again Ann,

Word of advice. Don't attempt to clean or restore it yourself. I was advised this by two independent antiques valuers of this c.1916, (i.e. WW1), sighting telescope that specialise in militaria.

[Cosmic Geoff]

It could be a Victorian antique Ross - the earlier ones have Ross, London in Italic script (sometimes looking like 'Rofs, London' ) and the earliest ones don't have the 5-digit serial number that all later Ross telescopes have.  Yours probably is a genuine antique Ross, but some better quality photographs would help. Also if you measure the overall diameter and length.

If you look on Ebay you will see Ross telescopes offered at some fancy prices (and not selling), but a tatty example may not achieve a high selling price.

I don't advise trying to restore or over-clean it before sale, as this is a specialist job.

There are a lot of fake ROSS LONDON telescopes from India, but these are easy to spot if one knows what to look for.

[LukeSkywatcher]

1 hour ago, Ann McLachlan said:

Hi - I can’t see any numbers or marks - just the name “Ross London”. I’ll put photos on now.

Thanks - Ann

Leave it as it is and put it in an auction house. Looks authentic as an old spotting scope. There are collectors.

[Ann McLachlan]

Hi Everyone

Thank you so much for all your helpful comments!  I’ll measure it tomorrow and send more pictures.  The writing is in Italic script.   I am going to a Collector’s Fair next Saturday in Wirral, where I live,  and maybe could sell it there - I’ll have a look on ebay and try and get an idea around how much I should ask for.  

There is no question of this being a fake - my father had it for many years, in fact I took it to the Antiques Roadshow when it came to Liverpool in the early 80’s. Unfortunately, I can’t remember anything I was told about it!!!

Any further comments very welcome.

Thanks. Ann

[cletrac1922]

Ann

My grandfather had one

He brought back with him from WW1 in France

He told me when I was lot younger, Australian Army Artillery used them for spotting German machine gun locations

Yours looks around same era

John

[Cosmic Geoff]

It seems safe to assume that this is a genuine Ross and not a replica.  I had some notes tying serial numbers to dates of manufacture, but can't find it right now.  A Ross telescope that looks right but has no serial number will be Victorian, not any date later.  This looks like a single draw "Officer of the Watch" type, which were the most common, and used to be the most common variant turning up on ebay, selling for the lowest prices. Similar telescopes were manufactured for many decades.

Ross telescopes generally have a characteristic finish to the eyepiece cap, with concentric grooves on the rear end and a swiveling central cover (which is where more photos would have been helpful). But on the earliest ones the back of the eyepiece cap is plain, not grooved.

On the fake front, I once returned a "Ross" I bought on Ebay on the grounds that it looked over-restored and altered, and the engraving looked almost right but was far too fresh and bright for an instrument that was supposed to be over 50 years old (though some of the instrument might have been that old).

[HAsun]

Hi Ann,

This is definitely a Victorian Ross telescope. I have both an earlier one engraved "A Ross London", and a later second world war one engraved "ROSS LONDON", in capitals,, and this has a serial on it as all of the wartime ones did.  I am a collector of antique scopes and I might be interested in buying it from you. Let me know the lens size, if you can measure it and post here, that would be most helpful. By the way. I think your scope dates to approx. the 1890's. I would need to know the lens diameter to give you a price though.

Kind regards, Patrick.

 

 

[Ann McLachlan]

Hi 

Thanks again to you all for advice.  i’ve taken some further photos and also measured the telescope:  closed it is 61cm/fully extended it is 77cm.  The spyhole is 4cm and the large glass at the opposite end is 5cm.  I’ve taken a picture of the spyhole, both open and closed.

Thank You.  Ann

[HAsun]

Hi Ann,

PM sent.

[JOC]

On ‎14‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 20:56, Philip R said:

Hi again Ann,

Word of advice. Don't attempt to clean or restore it yourself. I was advised this by two independent antiques valuers of this c.1916, (i.e. WW1), sighting telescope that specialise in militaria.

Did anyone else shudder when they saw this picture - that does seem a precarious place to rest a roll-able old telescope - it looks like the corner of the top of a stair case bannister with a long drop behind it!!

[RT65CB-SWL]

Don't panic!

I placed a blob of Blu-Tack or that 'sticky glue stuff' that stick CD's & DVD's to magazine front covers behind it. ?

[JOC]

20 hours ago, Philip R said:

Don't panic!

I placed a blob of Blu-Tack or that 'sticky glue stuff' that stick CD's & DVD's to magazine front covers behind it. ?

Phew!